Refrigerator.



M. F. HUDSON.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICAHON FILED JULY 10, 1915.

1 1 91 ,309. Patented July 18, 1916.

MARION F. HUDSON, OE POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed July 10, 1915. Serial No. 39,072.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARION F. HUosoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Poplar Bluff, in the county of Butler and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, ofwhich the following is a specification,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings. v

This invention relates to an improved refrigerator and has for itsprimary object to provide means for maintaining the pro vision chamberof the refrigerator at a very low temperature with a minimum consumptionof ice. I

The invention has for a more particular object to provide a refrigeratorhaving'a provision compartment, the walls of which are spaced from thebody walls of the refrigerator, a porous water conductor arranged uponthe Walls of the provision compartment and upon which the ice is adaptedto be placed, the walls of the provision compartment having openingstherein, over which the water is carried by said porous conductor.

The invention hasfor a further general object to improve and simplifythe construction of refrigerators and provide means for maintaining theinterior of the refrigerator at a low temperature and also avoid thepossibility of entrance of drainage water from the ice, to the provisioncompartment of the refrigerator.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a refrigerator, constructed inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the doorthereof being open; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3, of'

Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the body of therefrigerator, which may be of any desired size and proportions. The bodyWalls may, if preferred,

be suitably insulated in any well known manner. The base or bottom wall6 of the body of the refrigerator is provided in one corner with anopening, indicated at 7, to which a suitable drain pipe"8 adapted to beconnected. The top of the refrigerator body is closed by means of acover, indicated at 9 and the front Wall of the refrigerator has anopenlng, to provide access to the pro v1s1on compartment hereinafterreferred to and this opening is closed by means of a suitable door, asshown at 1.0.

11 designates the rear wall and 12 the side walls of the provisioncompartment. These walls, it will be observed, are spaced from thecorresponding walls of the refrigerator body and the bottom wall 18 ofthis ,,prov1s1on compartment is also spaced from the bottom wall 6 ofthe refrigerator while the top wall 14 is disposed at a point below theupper open end of the refrigerator. The top, bottom and side walls ofthe provision compartment are soldered or otherwise secured upon theinner face of the front wall of the refrigerator, around the edges ofthe door opening therein.

In the rear wall 11 of the provision com- I partment, a plurality ofobliquely inclined slots 15 are provided and narrow, outwardlyprojecting flanges 16 extend along the longitudinal edges ofthese'slots. In the side walls 12 of the provision compartment, a seriesof circular openings 17 are formed by punching the metal outwardly. Uponthe inner faces of the side Walls 12, the spaced supporting flanges 18are secured, upon which the trays 19 are mounted. These trays are alsoprovided in their side and rear upstanding walls with openings 20 whichare adapted to coincide with the openings in the side walls of theprovision compartment and the slots of the rear wall thereof, when thetrays are in position.

Upon the provision compartment within the body of the refrigerator, asheet or cover of fabric or other porous material 21 is adapted to bearranged. This cover extends over the'top and side and rear walls of theprovision compartment. Thisfabric sheet extends the entire length of theprovision compartment. Metal plates 22 are hingedly mounted at theirouter longitudinal edges, as indicated at 23, upon the side Supportingplates in immediate juxtapo sition to the ice. The hinged plates 22 maybe readily raised to a vertical position in parallel relation to therefrigerator walls when it is desired to arrange the fabric Waterconducting sheet 21 in place or remove the same. The free edges of theseplates also exert a pressure upon the fabric sheet by reason of the iceblock resting thereon so that an excess of water and waste thereofcannot flow downwardly over the fabric walls, but the water will seepslowly through the porous material and past the slots 15 in the walls ofthe provision compartment.

In the use of the refrigerator, it will be understood that the waterfrom the melting ice is directed, by the plates 22, upon the fabriccover sheet by which it is conducted downwardly around the side and rearWalls of the provision compartment until said fabric sheet becomesthoroughly saturated. This drainage water, as it passes the slots oropenings in the walls of the provision compartment, results in athorough cooling of the air within the provision compartment, so thatthe provisions therein will be properly preserved. The water soakingthrough the cloth or fabric covering collects in the bottom of therefrigerator and finally passes off to the drain pipe 8. It will beunderstood that the front door of the refrigerator is openedoccasionally to renew the interior air after the pad or fabric hasbecome saturated so that the process of evaporation will continue.

From the above description, taken'in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is thought that the construction and manner of use of myimproved refrigerator will be clearly understood. It will be obviousthat by reason of the cooling cloth for the Walls of the provisioncompartment, the full refrigerating eflect of the ice is obtained and acompartment of comparatively large size may be maintained at a lowtemperature and for a maximum length of time, with a relatively smallquantity of ice. The flanges 16, surrounding the slots in the wall ofthe provision compartment, effectively prevent the entrance of water tothe interior of the compartment. By reason of the inclination of theseslots, the Water will be properly conducted by the flanges anddischarged upon the exterior surface of the tion, it is to be understoodthat the same is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I,therefore, reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimatechanges as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

mm is claimed, is

1. In a refrigerator, a body, a provision compartment having its wallsspaced from the body walls of the refrigerator, the rear wall of saidcompartment being provided with a plurality of spaced obliquely inclinedslots and flanges projecting outwardly from the longitudinal edges ofeach slot, a porous sheet arranged upon the top of the provisioncompartment and hanging loosely over the rear wall in contact with saidflanges, and metal plates hinged upon the refrigerator walls and restingat their free edges upon the porous sheet which is disposed over the topof the provision compartment, said free edges of the hinged plates beingpressed downwardly by an ice cake engaged thereon.

2. In a refrigerator, a body, a provision compartment having its wallsspaced from the body walls of the refrigerator, a removable fabric coverarranged upon the walls of the provision compartment, and metal plateshinged along one of their longitudinal edges to the side and rear wallsof the refrigerator body and resting at their other free edges upon saidfabric cover.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

MARION F. HUDSON.

Witnesses J. M. HAW, T. J. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

